Lock unit



April 4, 1939.

E. J. WILLIAMSON LOCK UNIT FiledvJune 18, 1937 l NV E N 'T'O R Edwarddosep W/7//bm50/7. BY

2 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 4, 1939 UNITED STATES im'rizlirrV OFFICE LOCK UNIT Edward Joseph Williamson, Vancouver, British 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a lock unit adapted to hold doors closed under pressure such, for example, as refrigerator, sound-proof and watertight doors.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a lock unit adapted to hold the door closed constantly under pressure.

Another object is the provision of a lock unit adapted to hold a door closed under relatively great pressure with Very little leverage.

A further object is the provision of a lock unit adapted to hold a door closed under pressure and having means for regulating the pressure.

A further object is the provision of a lock unit which may be operated silently.

A st ill further object is the provision of a lock unit concealed in the door adapted to hold said door closed under pressure.

Yet another object is the provision of a lock unit of Very great strength which may be easily operated.

There are many locks now in use for holding doors closed but these do not apply pressure to the door in order to ensure a tight lit. There are latches adapted to act against a stationary sloping surface in order to force a door closed but the latch tends to ride back along the sloping surface and release the pressure. At the same time, as the metal wears away, the pressure on the door is lessened.

This invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a lock unit by means of which pres# sure is constantly applied tothe bolt of the door in order to ensure a tight lit at all times. The

35 present lock unit includes means for regulating the pressure on the door to meet various needs and to compensate for any wearing of the various parts.

The present invention consists essentially of a lock casing mounted in a .door and a keeper mechanism comprising a strike casingmounted in the door frame or in the wall in which the door is located. 'I'he strike casing is provided with a ramp or strike plate pivotally mounted therein, means for applying pressure to the freeend of the strike plate and means for regulating the pressure of the pressure-applying means. The lock casing is provided with a bolt having means for moving it into and out of engagement with the ramp or strike plate when the door is closed, said casing including means for noiselessly limiting the movement of the bolt as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the lock unit with its covers removed,

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 with the bolt entering the strike casing,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the bolt in locked position, and

Figure 4 is an enlarged horizontal section taken through the strike casing on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Ill is a lock casing having a removable cover II, a bottom I2 and an end plate I3 by means of which the casing is mounted in a .door I4 by screws or the like. A bolt I5 resting on the bot-l tom I2 of the casing, is slidably mounted therein and extends outwardly through an opening I6 in the end plate I3. The bolt I5 is formed at its inner end with a rack I1 and at its outer end with a recess I 8 in which a roller 20 is mounted by means of a pin 2|. A pinion 22 adapted to mesh with the rack Il, is formed to receive a square shaft 23 extending transversely of the casing I0. The shaft 23 extends through the door I4 and has a handle 24 xedly mounted on its outer end.` A pair of stops '25 and 26 mounted in the casing I0, act as guides for the bolt I5 and are provided with inserts 2l and 28 formed of rubber or other relatively soft, resilient material. A pin is mounted on the upper edge of the bolt I5 and extends upwardly between the stops 25 and 26 so that said stops limits the movement of the bolt. If desired, a lock could be placed in the casing I0 in the space above the pin 30 by means of which the bolt could be locked in its outward position.

The keeper mechanism comprises a strike casing 3| adapted to be mounted in a door frame or wall 32 in which the door I4 is located, said casing having a removable cover 33 and an end plate 34 with an enlarged opening 35 therein. The strike casing 3I is formed with a pair of wedgeshaped blocks 36 and 31 at its top and bottom. The wedge-shaped blocks 36 and 3l are situated with their bases 33 at the inner end of the casing 3l and their apexes 40 terminating adjacent the opening of the end plate 34. A plate 4I having arms 42 and 43, is mounted on the sloping surfaces of the blocks 36 and 31 by Screws or the like 44. A strip of rubber 45 of approximately the same width as the arms 42 and 43 is placed between each of said arms and the blocks 36 and 3l. The arms 42 and 43 are slightly wider than the blocks 36 and 3l and form an enlarged recess 46 in the plate 4I. A ramp or strike plate 41 is formed with lugs 48 and 58 projecting outwardly from each side thereof adjacent its outer end. The ramp 41 lies between the blocks 36 and 31 and beneath the plate 4| and its arms 42 and 43 with the lugs 48 and 50 extending into recesses 5I and 52 in the blocks 36 and 31 respectively. The ramp 41 is normally held against the rubber strips 45 under the arms 42 and 43 by springs 53 and 54. These springs are fixedly mounted on a shaft 55 journalled in the top and bottom of the strike casing 3l adjacent the inner end thereof. The springs 53 and 54 are wound `around the shaft 55 in a manner similar to a watch spring and are formed with arms 56 and 51 at their outer ends which bear against the under side of the ramp 41 at each side thereof adjacent its inner or free end. The shaft 55 may be turned in either direction to tighten or loosen the springs 53 and 54 in order to increase or decrease the pressure on the ramp 41 and setl screws 58 are provided uby means of which the shaft is held in the desired position. As stated above, the strike plate 41 is normally held against the underside of the arms 42 and 43 by the springs 53 and 54. 'Ihe strike plate, however, may be displaced or pivoted on the lugs 48 and 50 at its outer end away from the arms 42 and 43 against the tension of the springs 53 and 54.

In use, the bolt l5 is moved to its innermost position until the door is closed and then the handle 24 is turned thus turning the pinion '22 which, due to its engagement with the rack l1, moves the bolt I5 outwardly. As this bolt moves outwardly,

vits outer end and the roller 20 enters the strike casing 3| of the keeper mechanism through the openingr35. As the bolt progresses in this direction, the roller 20 engages the ramp or strike plate 41 and pivots it back or displaces it against the tension of the springs 53 and 54 until the bolt reaches its outermost position, as illustrated in Figure 3. The inward and outward movement of the bolt is limited by the pin and the stops 25 and 26. The rubber inserts 21 and 28 make the limiting of the bolt movement noiseless. When it is desired to open the door, the handle v24 is again turned to withdraw the bolt fromV the strike casing. As the bolt moves out of the strike casing, the springs 53 vand 54 move the strike plate 41 back to its normal position against the undersides of the arms 42 and 43, the strips of rubber 45 preventing the strike plate from making a noise when it contacts said arms.

When the bolt is in locked position, the ramp bears against the roller '20 under the pressure of the springs53 and 54. In this way, pressure is directly applied to the bolt in order to force the door firmly closed. The pressure is in the direction of the closing movement of the door so that there is no tendency for the bolt to move back into the lock casing l0 under this pressure. If it is desired to increase the pressure on the door Y or to compensate for the wearing of any of the various elements of the lock unit, it is only necessary to loosen the set screws 58 and turn the shaft 55 to tighten` the springs 53 and'54.

From the above it will readily be seen that a lock unit which may be operated noiselessly has been provided by means of which a door may be held tightly closed under constant pressure and including means for regulating said pressure.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the claims, and therefore the exact forms shown are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set forth in the accompanying claims.

lWhat I claim as my invention is:

l. A keeper mechanism comprising a strike casing adapted to receive a bolt slidably mounted on a door when the latter isclosed, a plate mounted in said casing lying angularly across the path of thebolt, said plate having a recess formed therein, a strike plate pivotally mounted at its outer end in the casing lying beneath the plate and overlapping the recess therein, and spring means adjacent the inner end of the strike plate ior normally holding said strike plate against the bottom ofthe angularly disposed plate, said strike plate being adapted to be displaced against the tension of the spring means by the bolt as it is moved into the strike casing whereby pressure is applied to the bolt in order constantly to hold the door closed under pressure.

2. A keeper mechanism comprising a strike casing adapted to receive a bolt slidably mounted on a door when the latter is closed, a plate mounted in said casing lying angularly across the path of thebolt, said plate having an enlarged recess formed therein, a strike plate piv-v otally mounted in the casing lying beneath the plate and overlapping the recess therein springs mounted in the casing having arms bearing against the strike plate adjacent its free end, said strike plate being adapted to be displaced against the tension of the springs by the bolt as it is moved into the strike casing wherebypressure is applied to the bolt in order constantly to hold the door closed under pressure, and means for tightening and loosening the springs to regulate the pressure on the strike plate.

3. A keeper mechanism comprising a strike casing adapted to receive a bolt slidably mounted on a door when the latter is closed, wedge-shaped blocks mounted in the casing at its top and bottom, a plate having arms mounted on the sloping surfaces of the blocks, said arms being wider than the blocks, a strike plate pivotally mounted between the blocks, lugs formed at the outer end of the plate extending into recesses in the blocks, springs mounted in the strike casing having arms bearing against the strike plate adjacent its inner end normally to hold the plate against the underside ofthe arms, said strike plate being adapted to be displaced against the tension of the springs by the bolt as it is moved into the strike casing whereby pressure is applied tothe bolt constantly to hold the door closed under pressure and means for tightening and loosening the springs to regulate the pressure on the strike plate.

EDWARD JOSEPH WILLIAMSON. 

